Solar Home tour planned in New Castle

The public is invited to attend the second annual Solar Home Open House & Educational Tour 2008 on Oct. 4 in New Castle.

Five solar-powered locations, including homes and one business in and around New Castle, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors will learn about building or retrofitting homes or businesses so they are energy-efficient and use renewable energy. Solar energy experts will be on hand to answer questions.

Download a map of the tour locations at www.newcastle colorado.org or look for street signs. This free event is presented for the second year by the volunteer New Castle Environmental Advisory Committee and is co-sponsored by the town of New Castle.

For information, call Dave at 984-3565 or e-mail fischerdedog @yahoo.com.

Parachute library schedules book sale

The Parachute Library Book Sale will take place Oct. 3-4 at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center, 398 Arroyo Drive. The sale will begin at 7:30 a.m. Friday and close at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Family hike slated for Public Lands Day

Officials with Colorado National Monument will waive admission fees Saturday in honor of National Public Lands Day.

A ranger-guided hike for children ages 5 to 12 and their parents will be at 10 a.m. at the Devil’s Kitchen Picnic Area. The two-hour hike will include a scavenger hunt and a natural craft.

For information, call 858-3617.

Fruita Chamber sets candidate forum

The Fruita Area Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a candidate forum at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Fruita Civic Center. County Commission race participants planning to attend are Commissioners Janet Rowland and Craig Meis and challengers Dan Robinson and Dickie Lewis. State House race participants will include Rep. Bernie Buescher, Laura Bradford and Rep. Steve King. The audience will have the opportunity to submit questions in writing.

For information, call 858-3894.

League of Women Voters plans forums

The League of Women Voters of Mesa County will have a candidate forum for the offices of Mesa County Commissioner and Mesa County District Attorney at 6 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Mesa County Commissioners Hearing Room, 544 Rood Ave.

Participants include District Attorney Pete Hautzinger, Commissioners Craig Meis and Janet Rowland and challengers Dan Robinson and Dickie Lewis.

The league will have a forum Oct. 2 concerning ballot issues and another Oct. 7, which will include Laura Bradford, Rep. Bernie Buescher and Rep. Steve King.

For information, call 314-0186.

Clinic discusses long-term care facilities

The Colorado Legal Services Title III Senior Citizen Legal Assistance Program and the Mesa County Pro Bono Project will have a free clinic for seniors about how to choose a long-term care facility at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Mesa County Courthouse, 544 Rood Ave., in the multipurpose room.

To register, call 243-7940.

Shuttles will be available for Air Show

Free park ’n’ ride shuttles will be available for transportation to the Grand Junction Air Show Inc. 2008 Air Show this weekend. Buses will begin running at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Grand Junction High School, Central High School, Fruita Monument High School, Mesa Mall and the Mesa County Fairgrounds.

The buses will run at approximately 20-minute intervals until 1 p.m. each day. On-demand service for the return trip will be available all day.

For information, call 242-8761.

Boat wash installed to contain mussels

PUEBLO — Lake Pueblo State Park has installed a $500,000 washing station that uses a blast of 140-degree water to kill any invasive zebra mussels that attach themselves to boats that have been in the lake. The permanent boat wash was installed last month, replacing a temporary facility.

Zebra mussels were found in the lake in November, and state officials want to keep them from spreading to other waters. The mussels are not known to pose a threat to human health, but their massive colonies can plug pumps, pipes and outboard motors.

Wyoming wins one-shot antelope hunt

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming team won the 65th annual One Shot Antelope Hunt in Lander over the weekend, but both Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter failed to kill theirs with the required single shot.

None of the eight teams in this year’s hunt had all three team members kill an antelope with a single shot each.

Freudenthal led the Wyoming team, which also included former state game department director Terry Cleveland and former Fremont County Sheriff Tim McKinney.

Wyoming won because Cleveland and McKinney successfully completed their single-shot hunts faster than the other teams.